IU Northwest GIS Lab tentatively scheduled for completion by the end of August. Hardware and software have been ordered. GIS courses are scheduled for the Spring and Fall of 2000. Committee members discussed the possibility of a GIS certification program. Will GIS courses be open to anyone or will students have to be in a degree program? URISA is currently establishing standards for GIS certification.

Tim Sutherland requested that Becky Galambos draft a letter to him stating the need for a GIS program at IU Northwest for submission to the IU Northwest Administration.

IU Northwest is still working on an update of the Forum's website.

Funding
$8,300.00 grant received from FGDC for NWI data cataloging. NIRPC will be hired to compile metadeta at approximately $500/dataset. How will NWIGIS Forum decide what data to catalog? Money will be awarded by the end of September, 1999 with project to be completed within a year.

Still waiting to hear from USX regarding possible funding for GIS Resource Center.

Great Lakes Mayor's Conference to be held in Gary, Summer of 2000.

Gwen Adams, Gary Department of Planning and Development, offered to bring the IU Northwest GIS Resource Center Proposal to the Executive Committee formed by the Mayors of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting and hopefully ultimately to the Mayors for possible funding consideration.

How should data be selected for grant funded metadata creation?

Participants of NWIGIS Forum could be surveyed first to determine what data is available.

Contacts would have to be made with other NWI organizations to find out who would be interested in participating.